You are here:

Critical Praise

"The author’s deft and delicate touch as she plumbs the depths of her characters’ psyches is what will keep readers pinned to the page. It’s like a conversation with friends about whose lives you crave every detail, simply because they are so dear to you. . . Maynard’s simple language gorgeously interprets the book’s themes... In Maynard’s gifted hands, every sentence and step seems organic, as if she were just keenly observing these women and taking richly detailed notes on their lives."

—Dallas Morning News

"The Good Daughters gives us a broad span of years in the lives of Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson. One a dreamy artist and the other a scientist, these two women seemingly couldn’t be more different from one another. Nonetheless, they share a deep and mysterious bond, one that is gradually and artfully revealed. One of the many things I admired about this novel was its respect for nature, for the seasons of both the land and the heart. I am hard pressed to think of anything I’ve read that more honestly and eloquently expresses both the perils and the pleasures of love. Joyce Maynard has outdone herself in this beautifully written story you’ll find hard to put down, and impossible to forget. Full of modern sensibilities, this is also a good old fashioned novel, rich in story, characterization, and import."

—Elizabeth Berg, author of The Last Time I Saw You

"[Maynard] weav(es) a knotty tale of family secrets, told in the alternating voices of her likable main characters."